


Sleepless Nights

by errantknightess



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Crush, F/M, One-Sided Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-22 23:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/615638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/errantknightess/pseuds/errantknightess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes people just can't sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Nights

That night was colder than the last. Toph wrapped the blanket closely around her and crawled like a big fluffy caterpillar to find a spot where the earth still radiated with warmth from the now-dead campfire. The smell of ash and charred wood filled her nostrils. Toph inhaled deeply; even mixed with the chilly air, the scent made her feel a bit warmer inside.  
   
But after a while she found out she still couldn't sleep. Reluctantly, she untangled one hand from the blanket and groped around her. The earth still felt nice against her skin, even better now, heated up with the warmth of her own body. So it wasn't that. She plumped up the sand with her fists and nested in the cosy, Toph-sized hollow. The sand enveloped her softly, stray blades of grass tickled her cheek, and just under the surface she felt a hint of some tiny critters wriggling their way out of their burrows, upset by the low-scale earthquake she caused with her bending. Toph curled up under the blanket and sighed with delight. A couple of feet away, Appa snored, sending the earth into slight, soothing tremor.  
  
But something still wasn't right. Tossing and turning in her hollow, Toph could not think of any single way to make herself more comfortable. Finally, having tried out just about every possible position, she gave up and turned on her back, letting the stillness numb her instead of sleep. The water of a nearby stream splashed against the stones, drowning out most of the scarce sounds of the night. Toph did not hear the footsteps as much as felt them, and even that barely; they set the earth into slow, minute vibrations that nuzzled against Toph's hands and cheek not unlike a badgermole's murmur. Toph recognized them in an instant; these were the footsteps of a skillful hunter, and one that didn't want to be noticed.  
  
Toph pressed the side of her face to the earth to feel them more clearly. The footsteps stopped at the bank of the stream. She heard the water change its melody, now punctuated with gentle splatters of tiny objects – pebbles? – breaking the rushing water.  
  
"So that's why I won't fall asleep," she thought. "Must be full moon."  
  
She took a deep breath and slowly crawled nearer, feigning a restless dream. Her blanket slipped, the grass brushed against her bare feet, but she didn't dare reach down to straighten it. She was so close she could now make out stealthy, half-choked sighs sliding softly into the infinite darkness. Her heart pounded into the earth; she breathed the air that carried those intimate sounds and bit her lip. She couldn't help hearing things, could she?   
  
Toph lied on her stomach, letting the steady pattern of splashes and sights lull her. She stayed motionless until the grass turned damp and the heavy, freezing drops of dew sat on her lips and sobered her up from the trance. She turned her head to the stream. The breezy air stirred: a lanky shape broke off from the stillness and headed towards her.  
  
Toph wimpered as sudden pain exploded in her arm. The earth shook underneath her with a thud and she heard a stifled curse to the right.   
  
"Sorry," Sokka's voice slithered into her ear. "Didn't see you."

Toph didn't move; only her lips stretched in a small smile when she felt Sokka putting the blanket back over her stone-cold feet.   
Maybe the next night will be warmer.


End file.
